In the winter of 2020 my family and I visited a bungalow that we were interested in purchasing. The sellers worked full time so we could only see the property in the evening. At the time we had two young children so our visit wasn’t long.
As part of our mortgage agreement with Halifax a valuation was required. At the time I was offered a valuation only or Level II survey and valuation. The mortgage advisor stated it would identify visible defects for us to consider before purchase.
Considering this property was to be our “forever home” and our visiting time was limited we opted for the Level II survey and valuation.
Halifax instructed Craig Brown of Shepherd Chartered Surveyors (also known as JE Shepherd Chartered Surveyors) to complete the survey.
We moved into the property in February 2021 and just nine months later I noticed water ingress when entering the loft space. I initially thought it was limited to a single area and completed a crude repair with flashband. However, further inspection revealed water ingress and other alarming issues that should have been identified during survey.
After advising my solicitor that I believed these issues were longstanding and present prior to the survey he suggested I instruct a Law Society of Scotland Expert Witness to conduct an inspection and advise further. Two years later things went from bad to worse.
Timeline of Events
December 2020
November 2021
December 2021
- Martin Richardson of MPR Consultants, a Law Society of Scotland Expert Witness, provides a desktop report.
- A roofing contractor inspects the roof and thereafter provides a report of his findings and a quote to remedy.
- A complaint is submitted to Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.
Jan 2022
Feb – March 2022
- The matter is handed to my home insurers who instruct Jackson Boyd solicitors to represent me.
- Jackson Boyd write to Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.
- Shepherd Chartered Surveyors instruct their roofer to conduct a site inspection and provide a report.
June – July 2022
July – December 2022
- Communication is ongoing between Jackson Boyd and Shepherd Chartered Surveyors
December 2022
- I instruct Heritage and Design Building Surveyors to give an opinion.
- I instruct Alex Carmichael of Carmichael Chartered Surveyors, a RICS Expert Witness, to conduct an inspection and provide an Expert Witness Report.
February 2023
April 2023
Update: 24th June 2023 – I received a telephone call from Thornton’s solicitors advising they represent Shepherd Chartered Surveyors and this part of the website is confidential. I was unaware of this and advised I would remove any mention immediately.